Enjoy this 4K video featuring a Northern Mockingbird singing from its perch in an apple tree. If you know your bird sounds, you should hear phrases that remind you of the songs of northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, blue jay, gray catbird, white-breasted nuthatch, wood thrush, eastern towhee, northern flicker, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker … and maybe more!
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Last Thursday, we had a brief warm and rainy spell. Although way too early in the season for amphibian activity here in upstate New York, I decided to visit a local natural area just in case a wayward Jefferson Salamander was on the move …
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Ever come across a salamander when you’re out for a walk in the snow? I would be surprised if you have, so you’re sure to impressed by this wonderful video featuring a Jefferson Salamander crossing a snow patch during its early spring migration from the forest to the breeding pond …
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Just for fun, I’ve been exploring recordings from my trip to Puerto Rico in March of 2013, especially those gathered in the El Yunque National Forest where Coqui frogs fill the rainforest with vibrant melodies. Featured here are four amazing nighttime soundscapes that will give you a taste of what it sounds like deep in the forest in the wee hours before dawn …
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Wood Ducks have been gathering in woodland ponds as of late, with males and females courting like crazy, prior to their migration southward. You’re sure to enjoy this video, which features outstanding photographs by bird photographer Marie Read, accompanied by sound recordings by yours truly …
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Just as I was ending my field work on Sunday morning, a Brown Thrasher began singing from a patch of shrubs next to the road. I spent the next twenty minutes chasing after him as he flew from perch to perch. Finally, he settled in a tall hickory tree and put on quite a vocal performance …
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Several days ago, I paid a morning visit to my friend and fellow recordist Bob McGuire (we’ve done a number of trips together). Bob’s yard is full of House Finches and Common Grackles, attracted to the abundant evergreens surrounding his home. Luckily, it was a blue-sky day, so I managed to get some usable video footage of both species, with pretty decent sound …
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Nearly every day yields something valuable, but only if I get myself out there and immerse myself in the glory of the wilds. I never know what I’m going to find, even when I have a goal in mind. And more often than not, my ultimate “catch” is not at all what I had expected …
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This morning’s video catch: A Red-bellied Woodpecker giving its vibrant querrr calls, along with tapping at a potential nest site. I was very lucky to get this footage, after a frustrating morning trying to locate a Ruffed Grouse drumming log, with no success …
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Spring came and then left, or so it seemed. Last weekend the temperatures dropped into the high teens and on Saturday we had snow flurries all morning. Thinking it might be our last snowfall of the season, I braved the cold and attempted to get some video footage of birds at the nearby Cornell Plantations Arboretum … I’m surprised at how fruitful my adventure was!
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Winter has returned in spades! There’s perhaps five inches of snow on the ground and last night the temperature dropped to 10F. It feels like mid-January, and it’s hard to believe that it was in the high 60s no more than a week ago. So I spent the morning in my studio, huddled in front of my computer, editing bird videos I gathered during warmer weather the week before …
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I’ve just received a new toy … a fairly high-end camcorder that shoots in ultra high definition (4K) and is loaded with bells-and-whistles that will help me get splendid cinematic footage. Just for fun, I hauled it out to our frog pond last night and looked for some test subjects …
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